Since staring this blog, I have on a few occasions encountered friends saying something along the lines of "I want to send you a postcard, but I never know what to write; what do you write?" And I get tickled - doubly so. The first being that I'm never at a loss of words when it comes to sending postcards and the second being that since I have a "postcard / travel" blog, I've become an psuedo-expert on postcards; like the go-to-guy for advise. So, the following are the basics on how to Give Good Postcard.
Let's begin. There are a few major components to giving good postcard. The first, being the most obvious, is also the most important and challenging part - without completing this part, the path to postcard enlightenment is but a pipe-dream. So you ready? Step one - Get a postcard.
With all processes, there's always a beginning, middle and end. So, with postcard in hand, make sure you date that shit. Postcards that come in the mail without a date are amongst my biggest pet peeves. For those of us that like an organized scrapbook, it's very important. So yeah, step two - Date it.
The middle part, or message is perhaps the most daunting, but easiest part of giving good postcard. As such, I'll talk about that in my next post.
Now, if dating the postcard is the beginning and the message of the body is the middle, then the sign-off would be the end of the story. I love the classic "Wish you were here!" But "Love, Yadda Yadda Yadda" or "Hugs and Kisses, So and So" or the safe and always relevant "Xo Xo, Gossip Girl" are all equally acceptable. And then simply sign it. Quick hint: if you're not a regular poster, then sign-off with your fist AND last name. It gives context.
Step next... Address the postcard, then get that shit stamped. Make sure you double check how much postage is required based on the destination country - check with your personal postal professional to be sure. And finally, post the damn thing and pat yourself on the back for a job well done.
1 comment:
glad you remembered the signing off bit.
i sent you a postcard from tokyo and because i put a very funky sticker on the postcard, they insisted to put it in a plastic bag and then putting the stamp on the plastic bag. i fought to have the stamp on the postcard because i dont want to have my postcard end up in your "failu" category, and they finally treated it as regular air mail. its the most expensive postcard ive ever posted. i hope you receive it!
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